The Freedom Squadron
by Ada C. Eliana
Summary: AU: The sequel to Doing the Right Thing. After escaping from Ra's Al Ghul's HQ, Robin needs to come to terms with what's happened, and help his allies bring the Demon Head down once and for all.


_A/N: Here it is, the promised AU sequel to "Doing the Right Thing._

_Disclaimer: I receive no profit from this work of literary greatness, and I only borrow the characters, while owning the storyline._

_Enjoy!_**

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**The Freedom Squadron**

By: Sarah Shima

Chapter One: Beginning Again

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A survivor of a bygone era perched precariously on the ledge of the Gotham Police Station. The cold breeze danced in his hair, and pulled playfully at his uniform; there was a time when the wind would have tossed about a short strong cape, but the cape, along with so many other things, had been discarded with the change of times. Clad in a skin-tight black bodysuit adorned with a small red design over his shoulder blades and a yellow encircled 'R' on his chest, the young man blended in with the night sky.

He watched as night-shift police officers filtered by, coffee cups in their hands and sleep still in their eyes. He waited to see the squad cars driven by those same policemen shoot out into the city. Then he stayed in his place for a few more moments, just in case there were stragglers.

Certain his task would be uninterrupted, he jumped from the roof, somersaulting twice in the air before grabbing the window ledge on the second floor. With more effort than he was used to, Robin pulled himself onto the edge, and stared in. His back to the window, Commissioner Gordon's head was the only thing visible to Robin.

Gordon leaned back in his chair, reviewing the statements made by various people who had apparently escaped from the grip of a man named Henri Ducard. It was just another crime in a long string that seemed to suit the Batman or Superman better than the GCPD.

He took a lot of flak from his superiors and subordinates when Batman began his killing streak. Being the one to take down the Batman was the only thing that redeemed him in his professional life. But when they unmasked him… when he saw that he had just arrested Bruce Wayne…

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**3 Years 3 Months Ago**

**Gotham City**

**A sharp wind blew through the dark alley way as Gordon entered. What he saw gave even him pause. Batman was leaning over the dying body of a gang member, shaking him and demanding answers on who killed Robin.**

**Gordon held his gun in a steady hand and pointed it at his onetime ally. "Batman! GCPD! Back away!" he called.**

**"Where is Ra's Al Ghul? Where is he!" A beat. "Answer me dammit!"**

**A low gurgling sound was all he received as response. The man had died. Batman threw his body aside as so much garbage.**

**"God help me Batman, I'll kill you right now if you don't turn around with your hands up!" Gordon called, keeping up his 'tough cop' pretense while he was shaking inside. For weeks he had been looking over police reports, eye witness accounts, and autopsy photos that proved Batman was now a murderer. It was apparent that losing Robin had caused Batman to come completely unhinged. **

**But right now he was not supposed to be understanding; he was not supposed to be Batman's friend. But how could he not?**

**"Batman, old friend, I understand that something terrible has happened and you want to get revenge for it, but this is not the way. Robin was your son, and you loved him, and I can understand how you must be feeling. But this…? Killing these men, what has that changed? Will it bring Robin back? It won't, Batman, and so you need to turn yourself in. You need to stop this."**

**"You understand? No you don't, Gordon," Batman responded, his voice a low growl and his back to the commissioner. "He wasn't your son. You weren't there to see what they… what they did to him! You didn't watch him die! And as for them," he added, kicking at the corpse on the ground. "Killing them may not bring Robin back, but it prevents them from killing anyone else!"**

**"That doesn't make it right; and you more so than anyone else should be able to see that. Now I need you to put your hands up," Gordon said, his face twitching as he fought to remain stoic. It was impossible to not feel any sympathy for the man, but now was not the time. **

**Batman spun to face Gordon, and for the first time Gordon saw what Batman had become. His mouth snarling, his expression cold, Gordon felt as if he were staring into the actual embodiment of all the fear and hatred Batman had tried to emulate. This was not the man he once signaled to on the roof of the police station, this was a different person entirely. **

**He swallowed hard as he realized that Batman would not go quietly. In the distance he heard approaching sirens – backup. There was a shoot-to-kill order out for Batman now, and the only way that Gordon could prevent the death of his one-time friend was to make sure he took him in before anyone else arrived. **

**"I'm sorry, but this has to stop. And I would rather you came quietly. This is your last chance," Gordon said dispassionately. **

**Batman laughed, a low mirthless laugh, and then began to walk away. The sirens screamed in Gordon's ears as police cars pulled up behind him. It was now or never. "Batman, stop!" he called. A moment later, the shot rang out through the alleyway.**

**Gordon's bullet pierced Batman's leg and sent him to the pavement.**

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He watched Gordon's unmoving form, and looked further into the office with his night-vision lenses. It appeared he was alone. So, he tapped insistently on the window, garnering the surprised Commissioner's attention. He ducked out of the way as Gordon turned around. Nervously, the head of the GCPD opened his window. 

"Commissioner," he growled in his 'bat voice.'

"Who's there?" Gordon demanded.

"Are you alone?" A beat. Satisfied, the vigilante flipped off the ledge and into the office.

"Robin? What… how… why…?"

"Yes, it's me, and yes, I'm alive, and no, Batman did not know I was alive when he started his killing spree. I'm here because I need to know if you still support the vigilante effort. There's a storm coming Gordon, and there aren't enough of us left to operate ourselves. So, you in?"

Gordon took a moment to marvel at what had just occurred. He had been thinking about tragedy and death, and here, standing before him was a boy he had cared about who he thought was dead for three years. Hearing about people returning from the dead was not all too uncommon lately, but this was truly amazing.

Then he remembered who existed beneath the mask – Dick Grayson – and remembered that he had been at the boy's wake and funeral. It had been a closed casket, but Gordon had seen the body; seen what happened to him. It made him wonder why the boy would go through all the effort of taking on duties as Robin; why he would not just give up the losing hero business.

He caught the odd look that crossed Robin's face and then remembered the questions he had been asked.

"I'm afraid not, son. After what Batman did… the FBI are adamant about their position… and so am I. I can't assist any of you anymore."

He could tell as Robin lost his fight with stoicism that he looked quite disappointed. "All right. That's the answer I expected anyway… I just want you to promise me something – that you won't pursue us actively. You and the FBI might not agree, but the world needs us. Just go interview the survivors of Ra's Al Ghul's base and you'll know that. Can you promise me that?"

"How about a deal, Robin. Stay within your old boundaries – no killing – and I'll give you a five second head start whenever we cross paths."

"Sounds good, Commissioner. I'll take what I can get. With that said, I will make my exit." Without another word, he flipped over Gordon's head and landed on the window sill. Smiling devilishly, he leapt off of the sill and fired his grappling hook into the night. Gordon watched as he disappeared into the Gotham skyline, shaking his head.

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Dick punched in the access codes to the new entrance to the Batcave and leaned against the rock wall as it processed before the 'wall' swung open, and he entered. He immediately saw Alfred waiting for him, despite the late hour, sitting just behind the door. He looked up anxiously at Dick and stood to approach him. 

"How did it go?" he asked.

"No go, Alfred. Gordon won't help," Dick sighed, pulling the Robin mask off. "I can't say I'm surprised." He stared into the expanse of the cave, feeling a bit claustrophobic regardless of its size. He and Alfred installed additional lighting, but… every now and then he still had flashbacks to his time in Ducard's capture. "I hate doing this without Bruce," he admitted, sinking down into a chair.

"Master Dick, if I may suggest, perhaps you would be happier if you contacted Superman and were reunited with some of your colleagues," Alfred said brightly, hoping to lighten the mood at least a tad.

"How could I face them, Alfred? I just can't… I gave Ra's the access codes to the Batcomputer and to the secret files… by the end I didn't even know what I was giving him, just anything to make the pain stop. I failed," he responded miserably.

"As usual you hold yourself to impossible standards, Master Dick. If I recall rightly you survived there an entire year before giving out the codes. That's more than most grown men, and you were still a boy at the time."

"Yeah, but what use would I be to this 'Freedom Squadron' anyway? I'm out of shape, out of practice… out of my mind." He closed his eyes and remembered the time before Ra's ruined his life.

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**3 Years and 3 Months Ago**

**"Another dead boy?" Robin asked. He words bounced off of the walls of the cave. He stomach lurched as he viewed the autopsy photos of the young person that Batman put up on the main screen. **

**He was the same age as the victim – 15. Unfortunately for Robin, the physical similarities between himself and the deceased were too pronounced to be simply pushed aside or discounted as coincidence. He was the fifth blue-eyed black-haired boy to be murdered in Gotham in the past two weeks. Accompany that with the marks left on the bodies – either the bat symbol or the robin 'R' and it was clear someone was sending him a message. He was going to die.**

**"I'm afraid I've come to a decision you won't like much, Dick," Batman sighed, pulling his cowl off. Robin turned to stare at him.**

**"What is it, Bruce?" he questioned.**

**"I'm going to have to ask you to stay in the Cave when I go to stop any dangerous crimes, Dick. We don't know who's behind this yet, and the last thing I'm going to do is to put you in a situation that would jeopardize your safety."**

**"But I… I can still go on regular patrol, right?" Dick asked uncertainly. While Batman's decree to keep him in the Cave felt like a leaden weight being pressed upon him, in other ways he could understand… if these boys' deaths were any indication, then someone was indeed after him.**

**"Yes, but I'll need you to stick close to me."**

**"Bruce… I understand your worry but…"**

**"But what?" **

**"But you can't be with me every minute. Every boy that was murdered had blue eyes. And the only way someone would know that detail would be if they knew me. So that means I'm at risk as Robin and as Dick Grayson."**

**"I realize that," Bruce growled.**

**"And if there's anything I can do at this point, it's take care of myself. I'm certainly not going to have you escorting me to class everyday, Bruce."**

**"I still stand by my decision regarding Robin."**

**"Fine Bruce. But don't worry, we'll catch these guys before anything happens, I'm sure of it."**

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…**And how wrong he had been. He kept his guard up at all times, and checked in periodically whenever he was off the Manor grounds, per Bruce's request. He sat idly by in the Cave as Bruce fought the Joker, Two-Face, the Riddler… even though he really wanted to go out and help, he did as Bruce asked and waited on the sidelines. And still, it had not prevented anything.**

**One week before Dick's 16th birthday Batman and Robin went on a routine night patrol. Along the way they witnessed a mugging in progress, so Batman swooped in to deal with the offender. While Batman sorted things out with the criminal, Robin had watched off to the side. **

**He felt something sting his neck and reached up to grab whatever it was. He was stopped when out of the shadows behind him came a strong arm. A metal gauntlet covered his mouth as the arm wrapped around his torso and began dragging him backward. He tried to fight, but felt a fast-acting drug quickly making its way through his system, immobilizing his muscles. **

**His mind remained alert, and he did not fall unconscious, but he was powerless to do anything. Robin had no idea who his attacker was, and was not able to gain Batman's attention as his assailant threw his limp body over his shoulder and walked away. **

**He had been thrown in the back of a truck, and so saw his abductor. That would be the first time he ever laid eyes on the Ravager, whose maniacal smile shook him to his core. At that point, he was knocked unconscious.**

**When he awoke once again he found himself in that room… that room that stank of blood and death…**

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"Master Dick… Master Dick?"

Pulled out of his memory by Alfred's gentle voice, Dick forced his thoughts away and focused on Alfred as if he were an anchor to keep him in the present.

"Do not dwell on such memories," Alfred whispered, placing his hands on Dick's still-strong shoulders.

He had recovered some of the weight he lost, regained color in his skin, and had made it a point to work out three times a day for hours. However, he remained very far from the shape he had been in three years ago, and they both knew it. He had gone out on patrol the last two night, and returned from quiet nights covered in bruises from missed grapple shots, and overestimations of his strength. What concerned Alfred the most lay not in his physical condition, but rather the emotional and mental toll his captivity and torture had wreaked upon him.

"How did you know?" Dick asked; his deep blue eyes haunted; wounded.

"I've had long experience in watching helplessly as someone I cared about sank into despair and grappled with horrifying things.

"Things have changed greatly, Master Dick. It hardly seems possible that it has only been three years, and yet it hardly seems possible that it has already been three years." He paused, and then looked straight into Dick's eyes as he continued, "You have suffered greatly, and I can hardly bear the thought of it. However, the more you think about it, the more you force yourself to relive those memories – the more he wins. You are no longer under his power, you are free, and you have a chance to take control of your life back. Do not let him bar you from enjoying that. I know you may never return to being the bright happy young man you once were, but I will not lose you to him again."

"I know Alfred, I know it's time to move on and figure things out but…" he turned away from his surrogate grandfather and squeezed his eyes shut. "I just don't know how…" Alfred put his arms around his young charge and held him.

"And that, Master Dick, is why I am here."

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_A/N: Everybody on three: 1, 2, 3, AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW._

_Okay, my fine fanfiction friends, how was that chapter? How do you see this story progressing? How do you feel, in general?_

_Also, would you like to see other dimension Slade and Robin end up involved in all of this somehow? I'm still planning the story and there are various paths I can take, so if you have a preference, let me know._

_Anyhow, click that little 'review' button and send me some love... or hate... but preferably love._

_See you next chapter,_

_Sarah Shima_


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